


Sleep walking

by RandomCrytic



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 19:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19279663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomCrytic/pseuds/RandomCrytic
Summary: Papyrus finds Sans on the roof.





	Sleep walking

Papyrus finds Sans lazying about in interesting places. Like sleeping on the counter or smoking in a not-yet-puzzle-turned pit.

Finding him on the roof when Papyrus planned on fixing a leak however, is new to the taller, because Sans isn't sleeping. He isn't even drinking or smoking, he is just standing there, calm and lifeless, staring at the ground.

_His feet too close to the edge_

Why does the sight make his metaphorical hair stand?  
"Sans?"

Silence. Even the birds stopped signing.

"Brother?" Papyrus tries again.

"...Yeah?" Came a reply, finally.

Papyrus exhaled a breath of relief. He thought that Sans was about to- "What are you doing?"

"Keeping watch Paps"

The breath of relief retracted, his head fuzzed up with panic again. "...That is very cryptic of you, Sans. I would appreciate more detail if that is in your big brother 'acceptable' list today."

Sans snorts. It's forced. "Y'know, if a human comes by, I'll have the _high ground_ "

Papyrus didn't find it funny. Papyrus can tell Sans isn't smiling either.

"That would be very useful, Sans" Papyrus agreed, then with suspicion in his voice said. "If we were still underground"

Sans didn't speak after that. The silence stretched out long enough for Papyrus' worry to return tenfold stronger. Sans is standing too close to the edge, he reminded himself. He is suddenly hyper aware of Sans' every tiniest movement.

"Sorry" Sans finally said. "I must be dreaming, then"

"...how about we drink some of that disgusting black caffeine poison you like so much downstairs to wake you up? Away from the edge? Please?" Papyrus' voice was pitched a few notches higher than usual. If Sans noticed, he still didn't bother to move. He kept gazing at the concrete floor bellow. From his beloved 'high ground'.  
To Papyrus, he looks as if he's ready to simply fall over the edge.

"What day is it?" Sans' deep, exhausted voice asked.

"What? Why are you asking?" Papyrus asked back, then when Sans didn't elaborate and didn't show any signs that he's going to explain his reasoning behind the question,  
Papyrus took a second to mentally calm himself down, then answered. "June 14th 202X." He inhaled some much needed air, that he actually doesn't even 'need'. "We are out of the underground for years now, brother" He felt like it was significant to add.

"Heh" Sans kicks a little rock off the roof tiles his ratty slippers are rather intimate with by now. He watched the pebble hit the ground with an audible strong hit on the cold hard concrete. "Ain't that neat?"

The echo of the rock hitting the ground ringed in Papyrus's skull. It screamed danger. It screamed suicide.

"Sans, please move away from the edge, you are scaring me" Papyrus struggled to keep himself steady, not wanting to spook his brother into---

...

"Ok" Sans turned solemnly, like he doesn't want to. "Sorry. I was just thinking" His eyelights don't seem brighter. They are definitely more dull than yesterday, and Papyrus thought _yesterday_ was bad. Their almost non-existant glow do not match Sans' words.

Papyrus spreads his arms. Sans tiredly shuffled his tiny legs into his brother's embrace. Papyrus hugs him a lot tighter than he means to- like he is afraid this is the last time he will hold him, the last time he will nag him to do something smart. Like he failed to hold him together.

A few days later, looking at a pile of dust on Sans' bed, proved that Papyrus' instincts were right.

He ' _fell_ _down_ ' after all.


End file.
